ATME Fall 2010 Forum Lunch in New York

[Denise Mattia]

TRAVEL MARKET DECISION-MAKERS MEET TO DISCUSS TRENDS

By Denise Mattia

Members of the Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME) met recently at Random House/Fodor’s Travel in New York City for their annual lunch to discuss trends in travel market. Fodor’s Travel and Weather Underground sponsored the event.

ATME is a non-profit, professional association made up of experienced and innovative travel industry marketers. Now in it’s 30th year, ATME remains dedicated to helping travel professionals stay abreast of trends, effectively navigate the changing marketing climate, and build a path to success.

At the lunch meeting, four segments of the travel industry were represented on a panel. The panelists selected a different marketing tool that worked best for them over the past year. (Shown above left to right) Nico Zenner, President, Brendan Vacations and Greg Truman, Vice President of Marketing, South African Airways, U.S.A. shared their marketing successes in today’s economic climate. Simon Bradley, Vice President, Visit Britain selected the hot topic of the day, social media. Steven Goldberg, Vice President and General Manager, Advertising & Strategy, HomeAway.com chose a combination of
advertising and online and social media. Susan Black (far right), Co Founding Partner of the Black And Wright Group and a member of the ATME Board and Executive Committee was Moderator of the program.

After Ms. Black’s welcome statement and sponsor acknowledgement, the questions, “What is your #1 investment in the battle for ROI (return on investment)? What works best?” and “What is your marketing projection for 2011” were asked of the panelists. Steven Goldberg was the first to reply, commenting that his concerns were questions people asked when they planned vacations. These were, "Where should we go?" and "What hotels should we book?"

Goldberg’s primary objectives then were to build a global brand by raising public awareness, increase the number of properties HomeAway.com featured and elevate the category of the company’s rentals.

A print and TV ad campaign proved to be the “biggest bang for the buck,” according to Goldberg, as the first of several Griswold’s Vacation commercials, starring Chevy Chase came up on the screen behind him. The commercial aired on TV during the Super Bowl. “It was a big hit and it paid off,” he said. “Everyone was happy with it,” and added, “But you can’t do that type of thing once.” HomeAway.com will feature more commercials in 2011.

Without the financial measures afforded to larger companies, Simon Bradley, Visit Britain, USA needed to find ways of getting the “biggest bang for the buck.” He turned to social media activity and customer engagement by using Facebook, Twitter and Flickr to share information and photos.

“Social media reduces marketing costs,” said Bradley. “It’s all about being pro-active.” He stated that 95 percent of the interest in Britain comes from social media. “We can extend our reach by talking to bloggers,” he continued, “by getting involved in TNI (travelers night in) on Twitter for instance, and spending an hour-and-a half engaging in answers to questions.” Bradley admitted that using social media to reach customers isn’t free. A team handles all the communications. His marketing strategy in 2011 will be a buildup to the Olympics in 2012.

Greg Truman of South African Airways found that e-mail proved to be the most cost effective method to reach consumers. “Our budget is small, and E-mails allow us to communicate our ideas effectively and quickly,” he said, “We created a web site and we keep track of its usage.” Cost per click gave Truman the best return on the investment as opposed to more expensive campaigns. At an 80-cent cost per click, statistics from Google and Bing indicated that responses from emails during August were excellent, while April’s were the worst.

Truman created consumer awareness with attractively designed, compelling newsletters that contained meaningful messages, such as promotions. “Don’t overload consumers with unnecessary information, check results and use social media as a follow up to your newsletter,” he advised. Truman’s strategic management for 2011 will be the combined e-mail and social media platforms.

Nico Zenner of Brendan Vacations favors the traditional side of marketing. He mentioned that a cover photo and a photo and ad in a trade publication (Travel Weekly) increased sales by 500%. “Consumer ads work well, too,” he added. Zenner found that small radio stations around the country offer free advertising, and sighted one radio slot as having yielded 100 calls. His 2011 marketing budget is print driven.

The networking venue was an excellent way for members to exchange marketing ideas and to help them make decisions about their forthcoming campaigns in today’s transforming economy.